In 2025, fire departments serving Cement City responded to 34 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
147 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $154K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | -27.8% | |
| 2023 | 26 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 25 | -3.8% | |
| 2025 | 34 | +36.0% |
For the 9 building fires Cement City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 15 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 60.0% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 3 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 6.7% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Cement City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 73.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cement City departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cement City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,628 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 154 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 143 | 44.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 142 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 105 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 | 40.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 98 | 15.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 69 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 51 | 44.5 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Cement City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.